Saturday, April 27, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, a time set aside for everyone to take action to address a national public safety and public health issue. Sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency, Drug Take Back Day provides an opportunity for Americans to help prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.
Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. That’s dangerous and often tragic. Research shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. That’s why it was gratifying to see thousands of people from across the country clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in—safely and anonymously—over 457 tons of prescription drugs in October 2018, during the last Drug Take Back Day.
“Phelps Hospital is proud to serve as a collection site for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day,” said Daniel Blum, Phelps’ President and CEO. “In 2017, six million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. We want to see those numbers shrink. That’s why we have joined with the Sleepy Hollow Police Department to provide a safe and secure place where members of the public can dispose of their unused prescriptions.”
The drug collection bin will be located in the main lobby of Phelps Hospital at 701 North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow. People can drop off their unused medicines between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.
